We all want the best for our kids. What if I told you there was a well researched program that could change your kids life. It can increase the average life-expectancy of your children by 8 years. Reduce the child’s use and risk of alcohol, drugs and tobacco. It can dramatically lower the risk of suicide and help rebound from depression 70% faster. It will reduce the risk for committing a crime. Provide them with a life-long moral compass and provide children with a caring extended family. Interested? Well, according to Barna Research Group the program is called “Active Church Participation”. Many people think church is irrelevant and boring, but many churches are thriving and many lives are being impacted. Maybe it’s time you got involved in a healthy Bible based church. And instead just being a spectator, maybe it’s time to be a participator.

Cambridge University research found that in neighbourhoods where children do well in school, 96% of the children were read to daily and 45% of these children were read to for half an hour or more a day. In contrast they found that in neighbourhoods where children didn’t do to well at school 61% of the children were not read to at all. Many kids these days are addicted to games on electronic devices and need to have boundaries from parents. Lets make the extra effort to read to our kids. It will help them in more ways than we can imagine.

Research has found that prayer is good for you even on a scientific level. A study was done by German psychologists at Saarland University on the effects of prayer and those who pray. The findings revealed that praying can help a person maintain self-control and resist temptation, as well as help alleviate depression and other benefits. The authors noted that even a short prayer time changes the self-control depletion effect. These results are consistent with a growing body of work, attesting to the beneficial effects of prayer on self-control. The students were tested to measure their level of self control when faced with temptation. The researchers found that those who prayed before the start of the test showed they maintained high levels of self-control till the end. Whatever you’re facing today; let prayer be your steering wheel, not your spare wheel.

Researchers found that listening to music will lift or reinforce your mood and ultimately lead to a greater quality of life. It can also be an integral part of our health. Scientists at the University of Misouri have found that people can boost their mood simply by listening to upbeat music. They have found that happiness relates to a higher probability of socially beneficial behaviour, better physical health, higher income and greater relationship satisfaction. Lets be careful with the kind of music we listen to. They say that “What goes into your mind comes out in your life”.

Scientists have discovered that we’ve been hardwired to give. At the University of Oregon researchers have found that giving to charity is neurologically similar to taking an addictive drug or learning that you have received a winning lottery ticket. It seems clear then that people give to charity not only because they think it is a good thing to do, but also because it make them feel good. It also obviously helps the person they’re giving to. The Bible says that God loves a cheerful giver. Maybe it’s time for you to adopt a charity; to find a cause and to be generous. Maybe the benefits will be out of this world.

Sometimes forgiving someone can be the hardest thing you can do. But according to the Mayo Health Clinic in the US. Forgiveness can lead to less anxiety, stress, lower blood pressure, fewer symptoms of depression and a lower risk of alcohol and substance abuse. CS Lewis said this “I can forgive the inexcusable in others, because Christ forgave the inexcusable in me”. Who do you need to forgive? Why not take some time to forgive them right now?

Insurance companies say that 1 in 6 people in Australia describe themselves as an impatient driver. 91% believe drivers are becoming more aggressive. 57% admit they have gestured rudely or yelled at another driver when they have done something that they thought was dangerous or rude. And 20% admit they have become angry with another driver and tailgated them. And out of those 56% believe that their response was justified. We need to practice self-control and the lost art of patience. We should remember the biblical of turning the other cheek and loving your neighbour. Especially on the road.

According to the Centre for Bible engagement in the US, research shows that daily bible reading is the single most powerful predictor for spiritual growth. Key findings of the global survey of more than 100,000 people indicate that if a person engages the Bible four or more times a week, then the likelihood of giving in to temptations significantly decreases. And reading scripture daily decreases a persons odds of struggling with issues like bitterness, destructive thinking about yourself and others and feelings of discouragement. They say that the Bible that’s falling apart is usually read by someone who isn’t.